Brasil Telecom Celular has announced that it has requested proposals from mobile equipment vendors to be delivered between January 14 and 20 to operate its PCS licenses and for overlaying the TDMA networks of Telemig Celular and Amazônia Celular. All three mobile carriers are controlled by Opportunity. They signed a cooperation agreement at the end of last year. Vendors expect an extension of the RFP to early February. The tender is open to both CDMA and GSM vendors, according to the announcement, indicating that the telco will examine financial and technical proposals before opting for one or the other platform. BrT means to preserve its independence in this way, notes a telecoms equipment professional. Its choice will make a significant difference to equipment vendors and other telcos. BrT hasn?t specified the frequency if it opts for CDMA, but analysts expect it to go for 1900 MHz and use the 1800 MHz frequencies that come with its license as a LEC on a secondary basis. This would benefit Vésper most. The São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro CLEC plans to build a PCS network with the same characteristics and would be able to offer roaming in seven more states (Rio Grande do Sul, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins, Rondônia and Acre).
Vendors
As for vendors, Qualcomm would obviously be happy if BrT opted for CDMA because this would give the vendor national coverage. Telefonica/Telesp Celular and Vésper have already chosen CDMA. Lucent, which supplies only CDMA equipment in Brazil, would probably also benefit. Alcatel, Nokia and/or Siemens would benefit if BrT opted for GSM.
